This invention relates generally to rescue tools and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for performing emergency extrications.
The purpose of an emergency extrication is to remove an injured victim from a damaged structure, in an orderly and efficient manner that does not facilitate increasing injuries to the victim. Powered portable rescue tools, such as the xe2x80x9cPOWER HAWK(copyright)xe2x80x9d which is manufactured and sold by Curtiss Wright Flight Systems, Inc., of Fairfield, N.J., and the xe2x80x9cJAWS OF LIFE(copyright)xe2x80x9d, which is manufactured and sold by Hurst Performance, Inc., of Warminster, Pa., are specialized tools used by rescue personnel to extricate accident victims from vehicles, buildings, and other structures which otherwise impose a difficult or nearly impossible means of egress. These tools typically develop spreading or ramming forces for opening or forcing apart inoperable doors, damaged structures, or blocked pathways.
However, the distance or range over which the spreading or cutting force can be applied is limited to the maximum spreading distance between the ends of the rescue tool. In situations where a larger opening is required, or where a suitable brace, prop, or support is available but located beyond the expandable reach of the rescue tool, the tool could be rendered virtually ineffective. Parts of an automobile, such as the door or steering wheel, may also be so badly damaged and contoured that the expandable range of the rescue tool is insufficient to extricate a victim.
To facilitate increasing the use of such rescue tools, rescue personnel may brace the hydraulic equipment against a brace, such as is described within U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,148. At least some known braces include a plurality of surface platforms extending from a body. The braces typically are positioned against a suitable support and the rescue tool is then braced against the brace during its operation. More specifically, at least some known braces include a plurality of angled platforms extending upwardly from a substantially planar lower surface. The surface platforms are angled to provide a structural support to which the rescue tool is braced.
However, because such braces are typically minimally adjustable, such braces are limited in their application, and are typically only used when space considerations permit their installation. Furthermore, such braces are typically fabricated from heavy-duty material to withstand the forces applied by the rescue tools, and as a result may be cumbersome and heavy to transport and handle. In addition, such braces are only effective when braced against a suitable structure, and as such the rescue tool may still be rendered virtually ineffective in situations when the distance between the portion of the structure to be forced open and the suitable support is too great, or in situations where the vehicle is badly damaged or contoured.
In one aspect of the invention, a tool including an elongate body and a pair of opposing arms is provided. The arms include a first arm and a second arm that extend outwardly from the body. At least one of the first arm and the second arm are slidably coupled to the body. Each of the arms includes an inner face and an outer face, wherein at least one of the arm inner and outer faces includes a plurality of teeth.
In another aspect of the invention, a rescue tool is provided for use with emergency extrications from a vehicle. The tool includes a shaft and a pair of arms coupled to the shaft. The shaft has an axis of symmetry, and the pair of opposing arms include a first arm and a second arm. At least one of the first arm and the second arm is slidably coupled to the shaft and is configured to move along the shaft in a direction that is substantially parallel to the shaft axis of symmetry. Each of the arms includes an inner face and an outer face. At least one of the arm inner and outer faces includes a plurality of teeth configured to contact the vehicle. At least one of the first arm and the second arm extends substantially perpendicularly to the shaft.
In a further aspect, a rescue extrication system is provided. The system includes a hydraulic ram having a first end and a second end, and a rescue tool configured to coupled to a vehicle during an extrication to provide structural support for the hydraulic ram. The rescue tool includes a body and a pair of opposing arms. At least one of the pair of opposing arms is slidably coupled to the body. Each arm includes an inner face and an outer face, and at least one of the arm inner face and outer faces includes a plurality of teeth extending substantially along a length of the face.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method of emergency extrication from a vehicle with a rescue tool is provided. The method includes providing a rescue tool including a body and a pair of arms coupled to the body and extending outwardly from the body, wherein each at least one arm includes an inner face including a plurality of teeth, and an outer face including a plurality of teeth, adjusting at least one of the pair of arms plurality of teeth contacts the vehicle, and performing the extrication from the vehicle.